Protecting Employers Since 1985
As the 2024 election approaches, on Tuesday, November 5th, Wessels Sherman offices in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin have been fielding questions about employee voting rights. Because this is governed by state law and each state’s laws differ it can be confusing, particularly for employers with employees in more than one state. This refresher will…
Read MoreAfter the flurry of new laws and ordinances that bombarded Illinois employers in 2024, our clients had hoped for a respite to get their feet back under them. Unfortunately, 2025 is gearing up to continue changing the rules further. This article will highlight briefly some upcoming changes in the law that employers need to prepare…
Read MoreOn August 20, 2024, a Texas federal Judge blocked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule banning noncompete agreements in employment contracts. The Judge determined that the FTC exceeded its statutory authority in passing a rule banning noncompetes. The ban was supposed to go into effect on September 4, 2024. In the ruling, the Court said…
Read MoreOn August 22 the DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy issued resources and strategies specific to accommodating individuals with gender dysphoria in the workplace. Gender dysphoria is generally described as when a person’s gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth. Recognizing that this condition may present challenges both for the individual as well…
Read MoreOver the course of the year, we have received a number of questions from our clients about Illinois’ various new Paid Leave laws. In this article, we are going to present and address some of the most commonly asked questions we have been receiving. Q: We only have a few employees, are we exempt? No.…
Read MoreIn my last blog, “DEI Run Amok: First Thing We Do, Let’s Get Rid of the White Guys,” I addressed the dangers an employer faces when it purges white employees from the workforce in the pursuit of DEI objectives. Today, we address the opposite – employees who refuse to participate in DEI initiatives, like unconscious…
Read MoreLast week, a Pennsylvania Federal Judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order to block the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) ban on non-compete agreements. This was a very important ruling. All eyes are now on a Texas Federal Judge who has practically the same issue before her, and the Texas Federal Judge has allegedly indicated…
Read MoreA key aspect of the Americans with Disabilities Act involves the concept of “essential job functions,” or for brevity in this article, “EJFs”. These comprise the core elements of any job, the primary reason the job exists. In theory, employers can insist that a disabled individual be able to perform the EJFs of their position,…
Read MoreJust last Friday the U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions in a pair of companion cases, overturning longstanding precedent that instructed federal courts to defer to agency interpretations of the laws they enforce. The precedent was established by the Court forty years ago, in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Counsel. The holding of that case, which…
Read MoreWe have now had several months to begin adjusting to the implementation of Illinois’ Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2024. On December 31, 2023, Cook County enacted its own companion ordinance, and on July 1, 2024 the City of Chicago will begin implementing its own alternative. The…
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